Concert Reviews - Stratovarius + Bonus

Yep... I saw Stratovarius. Are you as surprised as I am?

I made an evening trip into Helsinki to check out this show. I've had Stratovarius floating around on my iPod since I was 17 but I can't say I've ever really gotten seriously into the music. Something about Kotipelto just reeks of cheese and as much as I think he's a good singer, I get sick of them pretty fast.

Kotipelto

Stratovarius has had enough drama since its birth to pretty much qualify it as a soap opera. The most recent news involves Timo Tolkki's leaving of the band. Tolkki wrote pretty much all the music and there was some messy business over the name Stratovarius but it seems that the remaining members of the band hold no real negative feelings. They brought in a young guy by the name of Matias Kupiainen to fill in on guitars and are now writing their own music without Tolkki as the God and Overlord of the music.

I was really thrilled to see Kupiainen live. I've seen him in interviews and he seems like a really interesting guy. He was so happy and lively on stage. Everyone was, really. They all just seemed spot on with the performance, no stress, everyone happy... a far cry from what they might've looked like a year or two ago with the longevity of the band so threatened. I sensed a lot of freedom amongst them and fellowship though. They all looked comfortable playing together, like everyone was having a good time.

The song selection was also really nice. I'm not so fluent in Stratovarius-nese but I recognised Destiny, Hunting High and Low, A Million Light Years Away, and a few more. Actually, quite a few considering how very seldomly I listen to their music. And they threw in a bass solo and a guitar/bass duel too, which was pretty darn excellent, if I do say so. Mathias and Jens passed off beers and riffs to each other, and they were both all smiles! Somewhere in the night the keyboardist began to mess around too, and whatever the setting he plays on is, I love it and he's really phenomenal. I love his playing, it always sounds so sharp and reminds me of King's Quest games (which is a good thing).

Kupiainen

My complaint? Only that Kotipelto's voice wears me thin after a while. I think he's brilliant, it's just not so much my thing. I was also situated for the first while behind the most retarded couple in the room who were waaaaay too into it. Painfully so. Shamefully so. It made me a bit ill. But hei, whatever makes you happy right?

Overall, good performance, good music, good everything. If it's a bad you like, you'd probably love it live. I don't think I'd go again but that's because it's not really my type of music.

So of course I snagged a setlist, but this time I was stealthy about it and asked the soundbooth guy. He gave me the most hardcore eye-roll I've ever received, but what the hell do I care about that? Here it is:

Destiny
Hunting High and Low
Speed of Light
Kiss of Judas
Deep Unknown
Legions
A Million Light Years Away
-Jens solo
Winter Skies
Phoenix
-guitar/bass solo
Forever is Today
Twilight Symphony
Eagleheart
EC Forever
EC Father Time
EC Black Diamond

Stratovarius

Year: Nov 2009
Opening bands: nada
Who I went with: me, myself, and I
Location: Tavastia, Helsinki, FI


*BONUS REVIEW*

What? Behold! You are getting a second review in here today! Aren't you lucky!

So who is this mysterious band I am reviewing? The one and only Leverage! A cheesy old epic metal band from Finland and one of the best times I've had at a show in a while.

This is music for amusement, for laughter, for pumping your fist in the air, for holding up your lighter, and for banging your head! I listened to the music for an hour before heading to Helsinki and then headed to the show with my friends only to wait way too long for the band to come out. But we were greeted with an enthusiastic group who played rather ridiculous music in the most awesome sort of way. The singer looked like a gym teacher (which I believe I was told he actually was at some point) and probably spent an exorbitant amount of time getting the wings in his hair to look so sublime.

I won't go into detail. All I have to say was this was one of the funnest shows I've been to. The sort of show you see to get drunk and go crazy at. A good times had by all show. No one is judging because they're all laughing and having fun. If you see it, go, have a few beers, put your fist in the air, and rawk! You'll see what I mean!

Leverage!

Year: Nov 2009
Opening bands: nada
Who I went with: Jake, Juho, Jake's friends
Location: Dante's Highlight, Helsinki, FI

Concert Reviews - Insomnium w/Profane Omen & Omnium Gatherum

This may sound a little familiar... did I not just see this show a week or two ago? Yes I did, only last time it had a crappy thrash band and not Profane Omen. Also, I missed Profane Omen on Friday because my family went to Tahkovuori and I had to go with.

So, a note to all the readers out there... tonight marks a special occasion (sort of) - Omnium Gatherum now wins the prize for band I have seen the most times, sitting at thrice, and is tied with Insomnium for seen in quickest succession, since they're touring together.

Omnium Gatherum

Omnium Gatherum is always a treat to watch. I've figured out my issues with the band too. As always, the music was fantastic, Toni is growing a goatee now and I didn't recognise him at first, and Aapo looked less bored than last time.

My problem with them is that, while I love watching Jukka and his antics and ways of making the first couple rows smile, his voice isn't that great. With singers like Niilo Sevänen (Insomnium) to compare with, Jukka sounds like he's not well trained to do growls and gives off the impression that he probably has a sore throat and pukes blood after a show.

However, the show was great, as it has been the last 2 times I saw it, and I was pleased to see Jukka come down to the crowd and shake hands with everyone in the first row. He's such a personable guy. Loves the crowd, and I think that's a great thing. Shame his vocals aren't better.

Profane Omen - Jules Näveri

Profane Omen was next. What I had expected to hear was an acoustic show, but that was not the case. It was very loud. I actually got earplugs for the first time (mom should be happy) and I'm damned glad I did because something about the cement venue of Finlandia-talo (Finlandia house) is insane.

I haven't listened to much Profane Omen but I had intended to see them with Marc that one night so it was nice to get a chance to see them live. I was really really REALLY impressed with their energy; particularly Jules Näveri. He doesn't connect directly with specific people the way Jukka does, but he really gets in there and makes you want to put your fists/horns in the air and be part of it, getting everyone revved up. Oh, and they did wall of death. It was epic, but I stayed out of it.

The music was great - a bit thrashy but really solid. Jules has a great voice and his growls are pretty awesome too. He's a pretty good looking guy... got a bit of a Brad Pitt thing going on, only skinny and Finnish and metal, hah. They were all very active and put on a great show.

Profane Omen

One of the guitarists broke a string at one point so they did some little fun things to kill the time. I'm not sure what song they played to pass the time but it was fun. And the drummer got up and asked where his mom was (they're from Lahti) and then wished her happy birthday. It was pretty cute. As a side note, that happened in Finnish and I understood, so give me a few cheers too!

Insomnium - Niilo Sevänen

As for Insomnium, well, I openly welcomed another flawless performance. I spent a lot of time thinking about Niilo's vocals and wondering why I like them so much while other bands not so much. I've concluded that it is great because it sounds natural and effortless, and when you hear it, it's gentle and not overbearing. It flows perfectly with the music, and I adore it. Also, he dresses really nicely and it makes me happy - simple, but looks totally metal. Insomnium has to now be one of my favorite melodic death bands. Of course, that means that the playing was sensational as well.

What a bonus to be touring with the band that hosts your clean vocalist. Jules (Profane Omen, does the clean vocals on the tracks off the new album) and Niilo's voices just flow so beautifully together, making absolutely perfect harmony and Profane Omen's show had a lot of growls, so it's great to hear Jules with more clean vocals. The man has an unreal voice and he should use it more.

Insomnium with Jules

Their stage show is more laid back than Profane Omen's, but that's fine, the result is that they just look badass. Everyone has great hair to bang around as well. The only unfortunate part was that about half to three quarters of the way through the set they started to get some reverb in some of the songs.

Overall, spectacular show (again), and I just discovered that they're playing with Swallow the Sun next month, so bonus for me! That'll bring them up to tie with OG for band I've seen most, and I couldn't be more pleased with the fact!

Insomnium

Setlist for Insomnium:
Equivalence
Down With the Sun
Drawn to Black
Last Statement
The Harrowing Years
Where the Last Wave Broke
Medeia
The Killjoy
Lay of the Autumn
The Gale
Mortal Share
Devoid of Caring
EC The Day it All Came Down
EC Weighed Down With Sorrow

Year: Oct 2009
Opening bands: Omnium Gatherum & Profane Omen were opening for Insomnium
Who I went with: me, myself, and I
Location: Lahti - Finlandia-klubi (Finlandia-club)

Concert Reviews - Amorphis

I missed Amorphis twice this year. I'm not sure why that was such a big deal to me considering I never got big into their stuff. I like them and they've got great music though, so when I was hungover and passed out and didn't wake up until their set was half over at Nummirock I was pretty bummed. And at Ankkarock my friend wasn't ready to go on time so we were too late for that performance also.

I saw that they were playing in Hel in December so I had planned on going and this weekend I was supposed to see Amon Amarth playing in Tavastia. Unfortunately for me, by the time I went to get my Amon Amarth tickets, they were sold out. I did manage to get the last available ticket for Amorphis a week later though but that meant going solo (something I am getting more comfortable doing).

So, opening bands were Amoral, whom I've seen once before and am on the fence on the whole Ari Koivunen thing, and Before the Dawn, whom I tend to enjoy and watched a bit of at Nummirock, so I was relatively pleased with the lineup for this show.

I found myself a nice spot on the rise right at the front before Amoral started playing (after having a nice visit with Ilkka at merch) and prepared for the show. What I was not prepared for was the crowd.

Amoral, first song

Before I get into this, let me explain something about myself. I go see bands for the music. I enjoy watching live shows even if the music isn't my favorite. I just like seeing performances and taking pictures and that sort of business. What I do not like are groupie poser girls who slut up the scene and make the girls who actually like the music look bad. And that's pretty much all you're gonna find at an Amoral show these days.

Ari Koivunen

Don't get me wrong, Amoral's music is quite okei, but I can't comment too much because I don't actually know any of their songs. I also don't know what their old vocalist was like. I will admit though that since my last review of them, Ari seems more comfortable with the music and he didn't seem nearly as out-of-place as before. They sound good, they look fine on stage, and whatever you may think of Ari Koivunen, the guy has a voice. But I have to wonder if he hates himself for going on Finnish Idol because the only people in their crowd were slutty 15-year-old groupie wannabe sluts and little boys who want to be like him. It made me nauseous. It made me ill. It made me never want to see them play again (regardless of how much I love their drummer and his vinyl pants). Particularly annoying were two girls right near me who were trying way too hard and took off their shirts to try and get some attention. Because they think that their bras are going to impress Koivunen. Seriously. If you're gonna be a poser slut, at least have the guts to show your boobs.

Amoral full band

After that was Before the Dawn. I know they're not everyone's favorite but I think their music is okei and I like the bassist's voice combined with the vocalist's growls. The music was really good. They played a few songs I really like, a few more that I recognised, and a few ones I didn't but it was a good show. I have to say again that I really like Lars Eikind's voice. He sings quite nicely.

Lars Eikind (clean vocals and bass)

The thing that made me the happiest about their show was the drummer though. If I recall correctly, he is just a touring drummer but he had this ridiculously huge grin on his face the entire show and every time I looked at him I just couldn't help but smile also because he just looked SO happy. A couple songs I recognised, for interest's sake, were Disappear, Faithless, and Deadsong. My biggest problem, and this was unfortunately with all the bands, was that the vocal quality of the main vocalist was not very good from where I was sitting.

Before the Dawn

Little intro to a side-story... I asked the security guy (who was very nice) if I could have the set list for the show and he asked the stage crew guy, who said no. Jerk. To be continued.

Tomi Joutsen, Amorphis

I know you really want to know what I thought of Amorphis though. I can see right through you! Okei, well, bear in mind, like I said, that I actually don't know much of their stuff (like all the bands this night). But the performance was brilliant. Really brilliant. Tomi Joutsen is a tiny little guy who is completely ripped and has a really strong and proud stage presence. Like, the guy is a massive aura of confidence, but he doesn't project himself like a douche. And what a voice. He has a really lovely singing voice combined with solid growls, making such a really wonderful overall show. And my lord that man's dreadlocks are long. Really long. Like, a few of them are down to his knees (granted, as I said, the man is very short).

The stage performance was great. The line-up is really solid, with a couple guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums. Tomi had a sort of a 50s-style mic, which was kind of cool. Everyone looked like they were having fun, playing confidently, and enjoying the sold-out crowd. I've said that I don't know that many songs by them, but they played the ones I know, including The Smoke, Silent Waters, and House of Sleep. There were a couple others I recognised too but didn't know the names of, which was nice.

Continuing my setlist tale, after the show one of the crew guys (possibly the one who shot me down before) grabbed a couple of set lists and handed them out to the crowd. The security guy was totally going to take one for me but the nasty old woman beside me snatched it first like a seedy gremlin. I am pretty sure she was actually cackling and drooling too, in the sort of Gollum "my precious" way. But when I was in the lineup to leave, he came back to the other side of the stage with two more setlists and no one noticed him but me so I went up and he gave me one. So here is the set from the show:

1. Leaves Scar
2. Towards & Against
3. On Rich and Poor
4. Sampo
5. Castaway
6. The Smoke
7. Majestic Beast
8. Alone
9. Silent Waters
10. Against Widows
11. Silver Bride
12. Sky is Mine
13. My Kantele
EC House of Sleep
EC Black Winter Day

All in all, I was really pleased with the show, I'm more interested in listening to Amorphis now, and I would definitely go back to see them again. This completely made up for the fact that I've missed them twice over the summer. Oh, and how can you go wrong playing Eläkeläset's Vaivaistalossa as your outro track? You can't!

Amorphis

Year: Oct 2009
Opening bands: Amoral and Before the Dawn opened for Amorphis
Who I went with: me, myself, and I
Location: Helsinki - Nosturi

Concert Reviews - Omnium Gatherum

Sorry, this is a bit older than the others but I wanted to add pictures before copying it here.

Mikael had put in a solid effort to get me to start listening to Omnium Gatherum. His most efficient method has been convincing me to go to the show the other day.

We arrived in the middle of an epic storm just in time to get the show. Omnium Gatherum was just about to start and since they were opening, I was able to get right up to the front to watch the show.

Jukka, Omnium Gatherum vocalist

Omnium Gatherum is sort of a melodic death metal band, as far as I can tell. So what to say about them? I can't talk about the set list because I can't name any of their songs (even though I spent the day listening to The Redshift, which is a fantastic album), but it was great. The music was phenomenal, but what really impressed me was the stage show. All of them had so much energy, it was hard not to get into it. In particular I refer to Jukka Pelkonen, the singer. What an interesting guy to watch. He was so in tune with the crowd and he really drew the watchers in. Everyone in the first three rows of people (most of whom were girls, incidentally) got a personal salute from him at some point, including me, with a connected set of metal horns for some 30 seconds or so. He shook hands with the drunk rockers and generally, in the words of Jason Lee in Almost Famous, spent the entire show "getting people off." It was wonderful. I wish more singers really spent time connecting with the crowd this way.

There was also a lovely scene where Aapo Koivisto (keyboards) took the shirt off one of the guitarists (not sure which), and Jukka poured water on his bandmates.

Omnium Gatherum; more band memebers

So, as I'm sure you gathered, I was really happy with the show. I greeted Aapo at the bar for Mikael and met Toni Mäki (bass) at the merch table when I was talking to Kaisu, the sweet girl who was selling stuff. He was an unbelievably nice guy and I was very pleased to make his acquaintance.

Toni, Omnium Gatherum bassist

After some time, Amoral came out to perform. Basically, the story behind Amoral seems to be that they, for reasons I am not familiar with, have recently replaced their old death metal singer with Ari Koivunen, the winner of Finnish Idol a few years ago. In this, the band has had to change their style quite a bit and in doing so, from what I've been told, in the long and short, has lost most of their old fanbase, being replaced with an entirely new fanbase.

My feelings about this, after getting over the fact that Ari looks like he's about 12, were that the music was good. Nice sound, nice playing, nice performance. And Ari can sing... there is no doubt there. However... the combination of the two was questionable, to say the least. Something was not quite clicking for me in this performance and because of it I can't give it a very solid review. Granted, it was still much better than most opening bands I've seen in Canada, but for how good the music was, I felt a bit disappointed by the overall show.

So that's my general feeling about this show. Omnium Gatherum was quite fantastic to watch and gets a definite recommendation from me. As for Amoral... I'll leave that call up to your judgement!

Year: June 2009
Opening bands: Omnium Gatherum was opening for Amoral
Who I went with: Evita and Kaspars, met up with guys from Norther and made friends with Kaisu and Toni
Location: Helsinki - Tavastia